I went out to one of my favorite lakes in Durham County yesterday, hoping to get into some crappie. The parking lot was empty when I got there, because the water level was so low the ramps were out of the water and trailered boats couldn't launch. I had to slog through knee deep mud to launch my kayak, but that also meant that I'd probably have 300+ acre lake to myself. It is all about desire, you gotta want to go.

Mist was shrouding my way as I paddled down the channel, allowing me to get closer to cormorants, kingfishers, and herons. A Bald Eagle took flight when it saw me coming. It was shaping up to be a great day already. All those birds are the best fishermen on the lake, so I figured my chances ought to be good if so many of them were hanging around. There were a lot of snags and dead trees washed up in the shallower water, so I waited until the deeper water to set any lines out. The low water helped concentrate the fish and limit cover access.
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I pull Flicker Shad crankbaits mostly because this lake is loaded with black crappie, which hold shallower than the white crappie do. I went with a flashy pink on the left rod, a slick mouse color crankbait on the right rod, and set both back around 100 feet behind the boat, running 8 feet deep. I caught a few small crappie to start, but not the number or size I expected. About an hour in, I left one reel in free spool longer than usual, which immediately drew a strike from a thick 12 inch fish. The lightbulb in my head went off and within minutes I recognized the pattern. The crappie were holding off steep ledges and points beside of deep water channels. Man, did they want that Flashy Pink Flicker Shad in a bad way. Some of the fish were hooked down in the throat or with both sets of trebles on either side of the mouth.

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I ended up catching 40 crappie and 3 small bass. Fifteen crappie were over 12 inches, with the biggest three measuring 14 inches. Twenty one crappie were between 10 & 12 inches. I had to leave at 1:30 because of planned family obligations. Considering that I wasted the first ninety minutes paddling around, fishing at the wrong depth, and the ones I missed or pulled off the hook, that's some steady action. I hate to have to leave the lake. It was a great day and definitely worth the effort. Now, I need to go clean the mud off of my boat the the fishy smell off my life vest.

Good luck next time you go.

Jim